The Problem is Him
by ThePygmyPuff
Summary: They were in love. Then came the war. She was captured. Tortured. He saved her. Four years later they meet in New York.


I never thought I'd ever have to face this kind of problems again. I thought it was done. Over. Finished! They told me I would never have to worry about it again. They told me that it was a chapter in my life that would never be repeated.

They were wrong. Here I am, four years later, staring my past problems straight in the face. Well I call it problems; others will call it a _him_. 'Cause yeah, it's a guy. He broke my heart. And I was nearly killed because of him.

It was during the war.

Before the war broke out we kept things hidden from the world. My side hated him. His side hated me. It was love against all odds. Things were good between us for a while. We were happy, despite everything.

But everything changed when one from my side killed his mother by accident. The killer died as well. But it didn't matter; hell broke loose. He started blaming everyone on my side for his mother's murder. And eventually he started blaming me as well, because it was one of my brothers who killed his mother.

At first he acted like everything was okay. But he soon became colder and colder towards me. I continued to love him. One day he suddenly came and told me he thought we should break up. Of course I didn't understand why at the time.

_He told me; "We're over. For good!", and then he left._

_I felt the first hot salty tear roll down my cheek, and dried it away. Then the tears started flowing and I gave up trying to wipe them off. I started sobbing. My heart hurt! I sobbed so hard I didn't hear them coming. When I finally noticed them, they were standing in a tight circle around me. Their black cloaks flowing around them and their silver masks leering down at me. I screamed, and everything turned black._

_When I woke up I hurt all over my body. I looked at my surroundings. I was in some kind of prison cell, maybe in a dungeon – if the damp walls, cold floor and earthy smell were any indication. I looked down at my body and found it scarcely clothed, full of bruises and bleeding cuts. My wrists wore cuffs with chains linked to the wall. My ankles wore the same kind of "jewelry". My head hurt the most. I wiped my hand across my forehead and when I brought it down to rest on my knee, it was wet and red. Great. My head was bleeding as well._

_I don't know how long I was in that cell. A month, maybe two? I don't know. But every day I got a cup of water and a piece of rock hard bread, probably in the morning. _

_Later a man would come into my cell, loosen me from the chains and drag me above ground, where more men in black cloaks and silver masks would be waiting. Then they would take turns hitting me, kicking me, cutting my skin with knives. I was always silenced with a spell._

_Once, one of the men started unbuckling his belt while four others held me down. I watched in horror as he came closer and unzipped his trousers. I fought all I could, but I didn't have much strength left in me._

_Suddenly the man fell to the ground screaming. Behind him stood another man pointing his wand in a silent spell, probably the Cruciatus Curse. The four men holding me let go and stood up. I did my best to curl into a ball._

_The man with the wand looked at the others and said in a dangerous voice;" Never try doing that again!" His voice sounded very familiar. He lowered his wand, walked to my side where he bend down and picked me up. Then he carried me back down to my cell, where he lay me gently on the ground. Then he leaned down towards me and whispered;" I'm sorry about all of this. It wasn't supposed to happen. I hope one day you'll be able to forgive me." Then he looked me straight in the eye. His eyes looked sad and full of regret behind his silver mask. He straightened up and left my cell, locking the door behind him._

_Suddenly my mind put all the pieces together. The voice, the eyes.. it was HIM! HE saved me from being raped, or worse. And he brought me back to my cell far more gently than any of the others ever would have done._

_That night when I got my usual bowl of thin soup, I found that there were bits of carrots and pieces of chicken in it, and I had gotten a piece of fresh bread too. My water cup was filled with pumpkin juice instead of water. I knew it was because of him._

Two days later I was rescued by the Ministry of Magic. They said they had gotten an anonymous tip about my location.

I was in the hospital for two weeks, and spent six months in a psychological institution. I still see a therapist once a month.

A year after my rescue, I made the decision, in consultation with my therapist, to leave England, and went to the United States of America. I've lived there for three years now. I've been back to England on Christmases and birthdays, to share them with my family. But being back there brings back too many bad memories.

And now here I stand, in the middle of New York. Staring at HIM!

"Hello Ginny." He says, sounding a bit uncertain.

"Hello Draco." I answer.

"How are you?"

"Now? I'm fine. No thanks to you, though. Last time I saw you I was almost dying from torture. Goodbye!" I turn to walk away, but he puts a gentle hand on my arm. It sends waves of heat through my body. Shit, I thought I'd moved on!

"Please. I'm sorry. I didn't know they would take you. Or hurt you, really, I didn't. That day at the Manor, I hadn't been there for almost two months. I was out looking for you alongside your family." he says in a soft voice.

"Then why were you dressed like them? Like a Death Eater?" I know I sound very skeptical.

"My father refused to let anyone who wasn't dressed like that into the Manor after my mother died. Even me. I was there to pack up my room – to leave for good and never return. I was about to leave when I saw you. I was the one who tipped off the Ministry on where to find you."

"Were you a Death Eater? Are you?" I ask, not really wanting to know the answer – fearing he'll say yes.

"No, I am not!" he says seriously.

"I don't believe you."

He rolls up the sleeves on his shirt, and shows me his forearms. Lots of scars of various sizes, a small tattoo just below his elbow joint on his left arm saying "_eternity"._ But not the mark I thought I would see.

"You know better than anyone that it's impossible to conceal the Dark Mark. I'll be willing take veritaserum and answer any question you might have, if that would make you believe me."

"If you're not a Death Eater… then why did you break up with me back then?"

"I did it… because I thought it would prevent you from getting hurt. I knew my father had plans to capture you and hurt you, because I loved you. He wanted to use you to blackmail me into becoming a Death Eater. I thought breaking up with you and making it seem as though I didn't care about you, would stop him. Unfortunately I was wrong, and I apologize deeply for that. I never meant for you to get hurt."

For a while I just look at him. Then I take last steps to him and hug him tightly. I feel his arms go around me.

"You loved me?" I ask in a whisper.

"I never stopped loving you. Even now, though I know you hate me, I still love you. I probably always will. The tattoo you saw on my arm symbolizes my eternal love for _you_."

My heart skips a beat as he speaks.

"I don't hate you, Draco. Even when I thought you were the one behind my capture, I still continued to love you."

He pulls back a little and looks at my face.

"What about now?"

I look back up at him; look him straight in the eyes.

"Now? Now I love you even more!"

I raise my face towards him, stretch out, and kiss him.

_The End_


End file.
